Dragon's Child
by Reona
Summary: The Ducks monitor two energy spikes and run to find out what has happened. They find something that they thought only as myth. Now they must stop Draganus from using the creature against them and help reunite a Mother and Child. Complete. Deity Collection


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Ha ha ha! Done! I'm done! Groan…oh, my hands. This thing is 41 pages long and 16,158 words. I think it's the largest story I ever wrote that didn't come in chapters.

All right, I have people who ask me this a lot so I'm just going to put it here. 

Jin is Chinese and it means 'gold truth'.

Taborri is Native American, although I don't know what tribe and means 'voices that carry'. 

I use Astoroth's Red Dragon amulet in this story but then I put it back. So I haven't ruined anything.

Although, I don't get to graphic, there is some blood at the end of this. Nothing big.

A huge* HELLO to silver elf child, BlueMoonDuchess, WildfireFriendship, and divesangel. Who were the only people to review my last story! Thank you guys. 

Enjoy!

reona32@aol.com

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Reona

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Dragon's Child

Nosedive pushed another handful of popcorn into his beak and followed it with a sip of soda. Colors flashed across his form as the TV before him projected the movie he had rented that day. A loud boom came from the speakers as a building in the make-believe world fell. He didn't notice as Tanya walked into the Living Room holding her ears until she grabbed up the control box and paused the movie. "Hey!" yelled the teen. "I was watching that!"

"It's too loud, Nosedive. I could hear it all the way in my Lab." said Tanya. She frowned at the screen, which showed a red flying beast caught in mid motion. "What are you watching?" she asked.

"Dungeons and Dragons." answered Nosedive, snatching the controller away but not turning the movie back on.

Tanya sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "You do know that there is no such things as dragons, Nosedive, don't you?" she said.

"Then why are we trying to save Earth from one?" retorted Nosedive.

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Draganus is a Saurian, Nosedive, not a fire breathing dragon." she said.

"Uh huh. Then why does smoke come out of his nose?" said Nosedive. 

"That is not the same, Nosedive." sighed Tanya. Nosedive just stared at her. Tanya tossed up her hands and walked away. "Fine, whatever. I'm going to go work on the Migrator. Don't burn out your hearing." Tanya left through the door and it swished closed behind her. Nosedive happily turned the movie back on and sound was soon blaring out again.

Tanya banged her head against the Migrator as Drake One's alarm went off. Muttering, she pulled herself out from under the vehicle and ran out of the garage. When she reached the computer she found everyone but Nosedive there. "What is he?" demanded Mallory.

The teen walked through the other door just then, picking popcorn from his hair and clothing. He walked up to them and flicked a piece away. "Don't ask." he hissed. 

There was a snicker while Tanya sat down at Drake One. "Well, Tanya?" asked Wildwing.

Tanya frowned at the computer, typing across the board. "I can't pinpoint where the energy signature came from, it was too quick and too low. All I can tell you is that it was on the outer limits of town near the forest." answered Tanya. She shrugged at her leader with an apologetic look. 

Wildwing rubbed at his head and sighed. "All right then. Since we have nothing to track then we have nothing to go after. Go back to what you were doing, guys." he said walking away.

The others muttered and began to walk away. Duke hurried up behind Nosedive and picked a piece of popcorn out of his hair. "So, Nosedive, what happened?" he asked with a chuckle. "Did the microwave exploded?"

Nosedive shook his head fiercely. "Shut up, Duke." he hissed. Wildwing chuckled in front of him and Nosedive glared at his brother's back. The alarm for Drake One went off again just as Nosedive was about to speak. Wildwing spun around so fast that he hit Nosedive with his elbow and the teen fell back. Duke caught him under his arms with a surprised look. "Wildwing!" whined Nosedive, touching his beak softly.

Wildwing winced. "I'm so sorry, Dive!" he exclaimed. Duke pushed Nosedive to his feet and the three made their way back to find Tanya turning off Drake One and Mallory slightly mad.

"I say this thing is broken!" yelled Mallory. She looked at the three male ducks coming up and blinked at Nosedive. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Nosedive ran a hand cautiously across his beak and found blood coming from his nose. "Wildwing hit me!" he complained.

Tanya's eyes widened. "He hit you?" she exclaimed.

"It was an accident!" said Wildwing indignantly. 

Duke handed Nosedive a cloth and he wiped his sore beak. Nosedive glared at Wildwing. "I see a lot of whipped cream in your future, bro." he hissed. Mallory and Duke snickered.

"Forgiveness is a great virtue, little friend." said Grin.

"I don't know the meaning of forgiveness, however, the word revenge is well known to me." replied Nosedive. He winced as he took the cloth away. 

"I'm doomed." moaned Wildwing.

"Oh yeah." chuckled Duke. 

"We have an energy spike guys, way bigger than last time and traceable." announced Tanya. 

"To the Migrator." ordered Wildwing. He looked at Nosedive and saw that the teen was holding his head tipped back and his eyes were closed. He began to wonder if he really had hurt his brother. "You all right?" he asked. 

Nosedive opened his eyes and glared at him. "Worry about yourself, Wing. You are in so much trouble." he said. 

Reassured by Nosedive's attitude, Wildwing led the team out of the Pond and onto the streets of Anaheim. 

"This is it." said Tanya. Wildwing stopped the Migrator and the team exited. They looked around to find the street deserted. 

"Told you that Drake One was broken." said Mallory with a frown.

Tanya sighed and shook her head. "It's not broken, Mallory." she said.

"Well, sweetheart, where is the disturbance then?" asked Duke. Tanya looked at her Omnitool and didn't answer.

Nosedive put his puck gun back into his hip holster and sighed. He rubbed at his forehead and tried to fight off the mondo headache that was starting to pound behind his eyes. It hadn't helped that the streets had seemed to be rolling as they had driven here. It was a good thing Wildwing had been driving or Nosedive would have probably hit something. Nosedive folded his arms across his chest and turned back to the Migrator, determined to wait without complaint for the others to finish. Never mind the sudden desire to throw up. Nosedive closed his eyes and stood very still, waiting for it to pass. After a moment it did and Nosedive opened his eyes with a soft sigh. There was something standing behind the Migrator. With a curious frown, Nosedive lifted his eyes higher and froze. "Tanya, I think we need to have that dragon discussion again." he said nervously. 

"What?" asked Tanya, turning. The team all froze as they saw the creature behind the Migrator. A long snout smoked slightly and was covered in red scales. Sharp spikes tipped with green started at the top of the head and disappeared down the creature's back and between two folded wings. Yellow eyes looked at the ducks and two front limbs with sharp claws were placed on top of the Migrator. There was a moment of silence and then Tanya squeaked. The dragon's eyes narrowed and its jaw opened. 

"Move!" yelled Wildwing. The team jumped back and Nosedive threw himself forward as a jet of fire struck the road. 

Nosedive shook his head as dots exploded around his eyes. He leaned against the Migrator and tried to control his breathing. The Migrator rocked and Nosedive clamped his hands over his ears as the dragon roared. Nosedive scrambled up the ramp into the Migrator as another stream of fire hit the road. "Nosedive!" yelled Wildwing, but the younger duck couldn't answer him.

Nosedive lost his footing and rolled under a control panel, grabbing the chair before it as the Migrator rocked. Blood had begun to drip off his beak again and Nosedive struggled to not pass out. He heard weapons start to go off outside and pushed himself up. The roof began to dip from the weight placed on it and metal shrieked. The dragon would destroy the Migrator like a tin can and there was no way the ducks could stop the creature like this. Nosedive opened the hatch on the other side of the Migrator and saw the bottom feet and long tail of the dragon that extended out into an alley. Nosedive blinked the fuzz out of his eyes and jumped down, running between the dragon's legs. He cried out as the dragon shifted and he lost his balance. Hand out stretched, he fell against the dragon's foot. Worry. Pain. Hate. Anger. Confusion. Who are you?

Nosedive jerked his hand away as the dragon roared and bolted down the alley. He heard the others yelling as the dragon turned and followed him. Nosedive raced across the road without pause and into a construction site. "That's it, follow the leader." he muttered as the dragon came behind him. Nosedive crawled into a large round pipe of concrete and braced himself against the curved sides. He glanced at the hand he had touched the dragon with as he gasped in air for his aching lungs and found that his hand was slightly red and felt tender. He screamed as the pipe began to roll, turning him upside down. From above the dragon bent its head and looked into the pipe, yellow eye gleaming. Nosedive froze as he looked at the one eye. Worry. Anger. Nosedive blinked and tried not to become sick. "What the hell?" he gasped, panting. The dragon rumbled and its eye narrowed. Suddenly, Nosedive heard a puck launcher go off and the dragon jerked up. Nosedive screamed again as the pipe rolled once more. The dragon roared somewhere above him. Pain. Hate. Nosedive turned his head and threw up.

Nosedive crawled out of the pipe and knelt on the ground, feeling horrible. He looked up and found the others fighting the dragon back into the steel framework of the half-built building. The dragon spat fire again and the team was forced to retreat some. The dragon took a few steps forward and turned its head. Hate. Anger. The dragon threw fire and Nosedive's eyes widened as the stream raced toward him. He almost was sick again as Duke swung by and snatched him up before the fire could reach him. Nosedive blinked as he touched Duke's arm and found it covered in soot. The pair landed behind a pile of steel beams and Duke sat Nosedive down. Nosedive found Duke completely covered in soot on his left side. The teen smiled weakly. "Nice look." he muttered.

Duke shook his head with a sigh. "You look worse." he said. He tried to wipe some of the blood and dirt off of Nosedive's beak. "Wildwing is going to flip." Nosedive looked at him wearily and didn't say anything as he let Duke work out his concern. Duke finally paused after moment and smiled. "Thanks, kid." he said. Quickly, Duke shot up another hook and jumped back into the fray. Nosedive leaned back against the steel beams and waved at the air. 

After a moment Nosedive stood again and moved away from the steel beams. As fast as he could with a pounding headache, he rushed across the construction site away from the dragon. He could hear the dragon being pushed backward and didn't want to stay anywhere near the fight. A sudden gust of wind knocked Nosedive off of his feet and he slid into the dirt. He sat up with a grimace and then noticed the silence. Slowly, he turned his head and found the dragon behind him. He crab walked backward until he fetched up against a brick wall. "Nosedive, don't move!" yelled Wildwing, as Nosedive stood. The teen stood against the wall and didn't even shout a sarcastic reply. The dragon took a step forward and lowered its head. 

"It's going to eat him!" exclaimed Mallory, lifting her puck launcher.

Wildwing pushed her arm down. "Don't, you'll hit Nosedive!" he exclaimed. He turned to Tanya. "What can we do?" he demanded.

"I could create a sedative for the dragon but that takes time. We can't shoot because we might hit Nosedive. I…I don't know!" said Tanya, pulling at her hair. 

"I'll see what I can do." said Duke. He aimed a hook for one of the framework beams near Nosedive but was startled when the dragon roared.

Nosedive flinched as the dragon roared at him. [Where is my child?] Pain raced through Nosedive's mind and he grabbed his head, dropping to the ground. 

"Shut up!" yelled Nosedive in pain. The others were surprised when the dragon roared and clawed at its head. The dragon backed away from Nosedive and shook its head as if in pain. It then took to the air with a mighty thrust of its wings, pushing everyone off their feet, and was gone into the distance. 

The ducks rushed forward as the dragon left and Wildwing dropped to his knees next to Nosedive, wrapping his arms around the teen. "Nosedive, are you all right?" No answer came as Nosedive passed out in his brother's arms. 

Wildwing sat with his elbows on the medical bed and his hands holding up his head. On the bed before him lay Nosedive, a little pale but sleeping peacefully. "I'm going to have to apologize to him when he wakes up." said a voice behind him.

Wildwing looked over his shoulder and frowned. "What? Why?" he asked. 

Tanya sighed and scratched at her beak. "I told Nosedive that there was no such things as dragons but it looks like I'm wrong." she explained with a slight smile. 

Wildwing chuckled. "He'll never let you hear the end of it." he said softly, looking at his brother. 

Tanya sighed again and shook her head. "Don't I know it." she muttered. 

The door opened and Duke and Mallory walked in. "Clean at last." said Duke with appreciation in his voice. "Getting almost cooked by a pet of Draganus' is not what I call a good time."

"We do not know that Draganus is behind this." said Grin from his position by the wall. His eyes were closed as he sat in the lotus position. 

"Ah, come on Grin. His signature was practically all over the creature." exclaimed Mallory.

Wildwing nodded. "Mallory is right. Draganus is the only one who could ever have gotten the dragon here." he said.

"We have to figure out how Draganus is controlling the dragon." said Tanya with a frown.

"Could he be using the same thing he used on the dinos?" asked Duke, remembering the neural interfaces used when Draganus had created dinosaurs.

"It's possible." said Tanya. They all stopped as Nosedive's hand moved. The teen slowly lifted his hand and felt along the control board above his head for a moment before pausing over a switch and turning off the overhead light. 

Seeing this, Wildwing smiled. "Hey, bro. You all right?" he asked. Nosedive winced and put a finger to his beak, hushing him. 

"What's wrong?" asked Tanya softly, as the others frowned.

"My head." answered Nosedive, so lowly that they had to strain to hear him. Nosedive pressed his fingers into his eyes and tried to breathe evenly. He had never felt such pain before, as if someone had reached into his mind and tore it apart from the inside out. Tanya went over to the cabinets and began to search for something to give the younger duck. "A sedative, Tanya." said Nosedive, a little louder than before.

Tanya looked up in surprise and then glanced at Wildwing. The older brother nodded, knowing that if Nosedive wanted to be put to sleep then he had just cause to do so. Wildwing leaned in close to Nosedive and stroked his little brother's forehead. One blue eye opened to look at him and Wildwing saw the pain in his normally clear orbs. Wildwing felt guilt over come him. "I'm sorry, Nosedive." he said, thinking that the cause of this was when he had hit him on accident. "I should have recognized you were in no condition to fight." 

"Not you're fault." said Nosedive, in too much pain to try and alleviate his brother's misplaced guilt. He didn't even flinch as Tanya pricked his arm with the needle. The pain began to drain away as his consciousness fled. Nosedive gripped his brother's wrist before sleep overcame him. "The dragon's child." he muttered. In the next moment Nosedive was asleep. 

"Poor kid." said Duke quietly. To be in so much pain as to want to be put to sleep had to be agonizing. Wildwing nodded and took his brother's hand off of his wrist. He lay it back on the bed and pulled up the blanket over Nosedive. Dimming the lights, the team left.

"The sedative with keep him asleep for the next 12 hours, Wildwing." said Tanya in the hall.

Wildwing nodded. "Thanks, Tanya." 

Mallory folded her arms and frowned. "What was that about 'the dragon's child' that Nosedive said?" asked Mallory.

Duke shrugged. "Maybe it was just the drug talking." suggested the older duck.

Grin shook his head. "No, I believe Nosedive was trying to tell us something but was in too much pain to explain farther." said the big duck firmly.

"I agree with Grin." said Tanya. "Something happened between Nosedive and that dragon that we don't know about and we can't discount anything until we are sure of it." 

Wildwing rubbed at his forehead. "Agreed." he said. There was moment of silence. "Tanya, I want you to see if you can try and track the dragon with Drake One." said Wildwing. The blond duck nodded that she understood. "We'll take turns watching over Nosedive. I don't want him waking up alone. Keep the lights down and be quiet." The entire group nodded at that order. "I'll take first watch and someone can come take my place later." The group separated and Wildwing went back into the Infirmary. The white feathered duck took the chair he had been sitting in earlier and, with a sigh, settled in to wait.

A dark shape pulled large wings close to its body and began to fall through the air. Before it could hit the tall trees, the dragon opened its wings again and settled gently in the clearing. The night sky sparkled with stars and the single moon. The dragon raised its head and looked at the sky, rumbling softly. Lowering itself down to the ground and folding its limbs the dragon lay its head on its paws. A tear fell from one eye, turning into a red jewel that thumped against the grass as it landed on the ground. Several more red jewels followed. [Where is my child?]

A golden shape raced across a large courtyard on four legs. It was about the size of a horse colt with a long tail and small wings folded tightly to its back, unusable for flight. Two horns curled upon its head and a blaze of white scales marked its snout. Amber eyes flashed in the moonlight as the fledgling dragon looked nervously around itself. It squeaked as a huge cartoon character sign creaked in the breeze and bolted into an alley. Clear diamond like jewels fell from its eyes as the fledgling pushed itself behind a dumpster. [Mama?] 

Nosedive first noticed the lessening of pain in his head from the last time when he began to edge toward wakefulness. The roaring fire had now cooled, settling into his mind. It was like a foreign thing had changed itself to suit him. He could feel, something, a new thing inside them. He wanted to talk to Wildwing really badly; this was really freaking him out. This strong desire seemed to propel Nosedive toward complete wakefulness. 

Nosedive opened his eyes to see darkness. He waited patiently for his eyes to adjust and then saw that a gentle pool of light was shinning somewhere off to his left. Nosedive turned his head to see a small lamp on Tanya's desk on, the only light in the Infirmary. Nosedive smiled, grateful, and took a quick look around. He was alone but he also knew that that was impossible. Scanning more careful he found a shadow on his right sitting in what he supposed was a chair. Duke. Of course, the night owl would be given the latest shift in watching him. This gave Nosedive some indication of the time. Duke was also fast asleep, which told Nosedive it was probably close to dawn. Gingerly, Nosedive sat up. Feeling no ill effects, he swung his feet around and stood. Feeling steady, Nosedive walked quietly from the Infirmary. Duke didn't so much as shift in his sleep. 

Nosedive made his way through the dark hallways of the Pond to the Kitchen without meeting a soul. Going over to the microwave, he found his first clock and wasn't surprised to find the time to be shortly after five in the morning. Nosedive turned on the stove light, leaving the overhead light off because he didn't want to deal with the blind shock that turning it on would give him. Nosedive popped in some toast and pulled down a bowl for some cereal, feeling terribly hungry. Remembering that it was lunch yesterday that he had last eaten something Nosedive scowled a little, snatching the toast from mid air with a grumble. 

He had just poured a third bowl of cereal when he decided it was a good idea to go back to the Infirmary. It would be six soon and both Wildwing's and Tanya's internal clocks ran at the speed of most jumbo jets. Plus, his brother would be eager to see if he was all right. Walking back through the Pond with his bowl, Nosedive found the Infirmary doors open and the overhead lights shinning out of it. He could hear Wildwing's strong demands and Duke's groggy almost but not quite answers. Squinting, Nosedive walked in and turned the lights off, much to Wildwing's surprise and Duke relief. "Blind the poor guy, Wing." said Nosedive with a smirk. 

Duke rubbed at his burning eyes and snorted. "There he is." said Duke. The gray duck then got up and shuffled out of the Infirmary.

"Good night, Duke." said Nosedive cheerfully as the other duck past him. Duke just muttered and disappeared down the hall. Nosedive looked at Wildwing and smiled. "I'm fine." he answered before he could be asked.

"You sure? You were in a lot of pain yesterday." Wildwing shifted nervously as he peered into his brother's eyes. They were clear again and perfectly calm. "I mean, you asked Tanya to put you to sleep."

Nosedive nodded and took another bite of his cereal. "I needed to sleep for the pain to go away and having Tanya knock me out was the best way." he said. The door behind them opened and the aforementioned duck walked in.

Tanya smiled as she saw Nosedive up and eating of all things. "I see you're better." she said. 

Nosedive smiled at her. "Did you find anything on Drake One?" he asked.

Wildwing thumped him on the shoulder. "That's my line." he said with humor.

Tanya shook her head. "No, where ever the dragon went I can not trace it." she answered. 

"Drat, and I was hoping it could find her kid." said Nosedive stomping his foot.

"What?" asked Wildwing.

Nosedive turned toward him and began to talk excitedly. "I can hear the dragon in my mind, Wing. It really hurt at first but I think I can do it now. All we have to do is find the dragon and maybe I'll be able to talk to her. She asked me last time where was her child, so I think she has lost him or maybe Draganus took him. We have got to…" Nosedive stopped when Tanya put her hand on his forehead.

"He doesn't feel like he has a fever." Tanya muttered.

Nosedive snorted and brushed her hand away. "I am not sick or delirious. I'm telling the truth." He frowned as he saw Wildwing looking at him in concern. "Why don't you believe me?" Nosedive demanded.

Wildwing sighed. "This is a little off the wall, baby bro."

"Nosedive, the dragon did not talk to you." said Tanya.

Nosedive frowned and pulled off his glove. He shoved his hand in Tanya's face. "Then how do you explain this?" he said. His hand was still slightly red and had started to peel in a few places. 

Wildwing and Tanya gasped. The female duck grabbed his arm and yanked him over to a chair. "Why didn't you tell us you burnt yourself in the fight?" demanded Wildwing.

"Huh?" said Nosedive as Tanya grabbed a few bottles. He blinked and then shook his head. "No, I didn't burn myself. I got this from when I touched the dragon." he tried to explain. He hissed as Tanya put some stinging liquid on his hand. Wildwing quickly began to blow on the wound and Nosedive smiled his thanks.

"When did you touch the dragon?" asked Tanya. 

Nosedive chuckled a little. "Well, I kind of fell against her foot leading her to the construction site." he said sheepishly. 

Wildwing looked at Tanya. "Do you think what he's saying could really happen?" he asked her.

Nosedive snorted. "Hello, still in the room here."

Tanya ignored him. "There has never been a documented case of a person talking mind to mind with another being." she said with a frown.

"There hasn't been a documented sighting of a dragon either but she's real anyway." Nosedive pulled his hand away and stood. "I'm going to go take a shower. I feel like day old crud." Nosedive left the two ducks in the Infirmary. 

Wildwing blinked after his brother. Tanya cocked her head. "Why does he keep calling the dragon a she?" she asked. Wildwing shrugged. 

Nosedive ran across the courtyard of the Anaheim Mall and almost went through the glass door of Captain Comics. He was forced to use the counter to stop himself completely. Thrash blinked at him from the other side, a pen in his mouth and a notebook in his hands. The human spat out the pen as Nosedive panted from his run. "Where's the fire?" asked Thrash. 

Nosedive sucked in a big gasp of air and pushed it out again as Mookie came from the back room. She almost jumped out of her skin as Nosedive started to talk really loudly and in a rush. "You won't believe what happened yesterday! Drake One had scanned a energy spike somewhere outside of town but Tanya couldn't track it but right after that a bigger spike happened, at which point Wildwing hit me, and then we were out on the streets after the spike. I thought I was going to be sick all over the control panel in the Migrator but I wasn't. Then, when we get there we find nothing. Zip-o. So, my head is like pounding and I turn around to wait and what do I find? Guess! You'll never guess! A dragon. A real dragon! It spat fire at us and I dove back into the Migrator while everyone else got caught outside. I'm feeling like I'm dying but get this great, just great idea to led the dragon to a huge construction site across the road where we can trap it. But I accidentally touched the dragon." Nosedive thrust his tender hand into their faces at this point and took a huge breath. "And suddenly, I can feel the dragon's feelings only I don't know it. I rush into one of those big cement pipe things, ya know, and the dragon rolls it around like a toostie-roll with me in it. Well, then I almost get toasted by the dragon but Duke does his thing and gets me out of trouble. Then I get backed up against a wall with the dragon right in front of me. My head is just killing me at this point and I feel like shit and then the dragon talks to me. Talks to me! It asks me where its kid is and my head like almost explodes at this point. I yell something and the dragon goes nuts and flies away. Next thing I know is that I'm waking up in the Infirmary with Duke conked out next to me. Neat, huh?" 

Thrash and Mookie just stared at him. "Divey," said Mookie slowly. "there are no such things as dragons."

Nosedive's beak falls open. "There's no such things as humanoid ducks either but I exist." he retorted.

Thrash looked at Mookie. "He's got a point." he says calmly. He looks at Nosedive again and smiles. "Dude, a dragon!" he said excitedly. "And you can talk to it!"

"Like, what else did it say to you?" asked Mookie.

Nosedive blushed. "Well, I haven't really heard from the dragon since yesterday." he admitted.

"Have you tried, dude?" asked Thrash.

Nosedive leaned against the counter and nodded. "Yeah, but if she's hearing me then she's not answering." 

"Do you think Lizard-lips had something to do with this?" asked Mookie. She was pulling out a trash bag from beside the counter. 

"Please, his hand print is stamped on the whole thing." said Nosedive with a snort. He raised an eyebrow when Mookie held out the trash bag to him.

"Make yourself useful." grossed Mookie. "You gonna hang out here, you gonna help." 

Thrash chuckled as Nosedive took the bag. "Fine." drawled Nosedive as he disappeared through the door to the back room.

"Thanks, duck man!" called Mookie. Nosedive banged the door as his answer. 

Nosedive muttered as he tossed the bag into the dumpster. He turned back toward the door as the lid thumped down and paused for a moment. Something moved to his right and he could hear a small squeak from the other side of the dumpster. Nosedive turned to the end of the alley and frowned. "Who's there?" he asked. Nosedive sighed, as he got no answer. "Come on kid, I know you're there. This really isn't a good place to play." he said as he moved forward. He froze as he came to beak to snout with something not human. Nosedive cried out as he thrust himself back and banged against the other wall. For a silent moment the two stared at each other. Nosedive made a sound in his throat as he found himself looking at a small golden dragon. Diamond like jewels littered the ground around where the dragon had curled itself tightly into a ball. Its tail was laid across its snout and amber eyes peeked out at Nosedive with fear. Nosedive forced himself to relax, seeing the look in the fledgling's eyes. "Hey, it's okay little guy." said Nosedive softly. He turned himself so he was kneeling and stretched toward the dragon child. The dragon squeaked and closed its eyes, trembling. Nosedive paused. "I'm sorry. I'm not going to hurt you." Nosedive watched as the dragon didn't look up. "Man, how does Wildwing do this?" he muttered to himself. "He makes it look so easy when he calms me down." Nosedive bit at his beak as he looked at the scared fledgling. "Shh, shh, baby. It's all right." said Nosedive, trying his best to make his voice sound like his elder brother's. "You're safe and I'm here. Shh, shh. It's all right." Nosedive softened his voice a little more as he thought about how Wildwing would calm. "Hmm, shh, baby. You're safe." The dragon opened its eyes and Nosedive moved forward slowly with the dragon watching him closely, all the while making little soothing noises. Nosedive saw the dragon's nose work as he neared and settled back onto his knees before the fledgling, not touching but near enough to touch. "Shh, It's all right." Nosedive saw a tear form at the dragon's eye and fall, turning into a jewel to add to the pile already there. Nosedive kept up his soothing speech as the dragon sniffed him and stood from its spot. He saw that the dragon would be about as high as his chest if he were standing. The little dragon had curved horns on top of its head and a white blaze on its snout. "Are you who I think you are?" asked Nosedive softly. He slowly raised a hand, really not thinking about what might happen, and lay it on the fledgling's nose when it didn't pull away. He gasped as fire raced up his hand and pushed himself away from the dragon. He bent over his hand, now bleeding where blisters had popped. 

[Sorry! Sorry!] said a high pitched male voice. Nosedive lifted his head as he heard it and found the dragon child sitting right in front of him. The dragon softly grabbed Nosedive's hand and pulled it toward himself. Nosedive watched, fascinated, as the dragon blew on the wounded hand and a gold dust fell. The pain disappeared and the skin of Nosedive's hand healed. [Better much?] asked the voice as the dragon stared into his eyes anxiously. Nosedive nodded, mute. [Good! Good!] cried the voice as the fledgling bounced before him. It suddenly came to Nosedive that he was hearing this dragon too.

"I can hear you." said Nosedive, blinking. 

The dragon looked at him from rooting through the jewels. [I hear you too.] Nosedive noticed that the voice seemed to match a small child's speech. 

Nosedive smiled, flexing his hand. "My name is Nosedive. What's yours?" he asked.

[I Jin.] answered the dragon. He came toward Nosedive and the duck tensed as the dragon climbed into his lap, expecting to be burnt again. He wasn't and he relaxed. Carefully he touched Jin's back and felt that the scales were rather cool. Nosedive noticed that Jin was inspecting his feathers. [You not have scales.] stated Jin. The fledgling moved his claws against Nosedive's skin and the duck hissed a blood welled up. [Sorry! Sorry!] cried Jin, quickly blowing on the injury and healing it. 

Nosedive lay his hands on Jin's snout as he tried to move from the duck's lap. "It's all right. I'm fine." he soothed the small dragon. Jin settled again in his lap, really not wanting to move. 

[You see my Mama?"] asked Jin solemnly.

Nosedive looked into Jin's amber eyes and smiled. "A large dragon with red scales and green spikes?" he asked, just to be sure.

[Yes, oh, yes!] cried Jin happily.

Jin cried again when Nosedive nodded. "But, I don't know where she is now." said Nosedive sadly. A jewel fell onto the ground and Nosedive realized that Jin was crying. "No, Jin, don't cry. I promise we'll find your Mother." said Nosedive. Jin looked up at him. "I promise." repeated Nosedive to the dragon. 

[Thank you, Nosedive.] said Jin with a sigh. 

Both were surprised when the door suddenly opened and Thrash came out. "Yo, Dive, what…" The human trailed off as he saw Nosedive and the dragon. His mouth fell open in surprise.

Nosedive smiled and was about to speak when Jin hissed. The dragon got up and stood before Nosedive, small wings out spread. Jin bared his teeth and hissed again. "No, Jin, don't!" cried Nosedive. 

[Gun! Bad! Protect!] cried Jin, making Nosedive wince because he was much louder than before.

Nosedive saw the bright green toy gun held limply in the frozen human's hand. "Jin, it's a toy. A toy! There is no danger!" cried Nosedive over the hissing dragon. "Thrash, drop the squirt gun!" Thrash did as told and Jin stopped hissing.

[A toy?] Jin asked, glancing at Nosedive but not moving from his protective stand.

Nosedive nodded. "Yes, it squirts water. It's just a toy." answered Nosedive. Jin sat, pulling in his wings, and Nosedive sighed softly.

[Bad toy.] said Jin sourly. 

"I guess." agreed Nosedive, standing. "You can move now, Thrash." he said with a chuckle.

"Dragon." said Thrash dumbly, not moving.

Nosedive chuckled and looked at Jin. "Why were you trying to protect me?" he asked.

[You bleed too easy.] answered the dragon. Jin looked him over critically. [You okay?]

Nosedive smiled and knelt to hug Jin. "I'm fine." Jin rumbled in pleasure. 

[Find Mama now?] asked Jin. He looked over at Thrash and snorted, the human still hadn't moved. 

Nosedive nodded. "Yeah, let's get on that." he answered. He flipped on his comm and waited for someone to answer. He smiled as he saw Wildwing come on immediately. "Hey, bro, I have a slight prob."

Wildwing gained a worried look. "Are you all right? What's wrong?" he asked.

Nosedive shook his head quickly. "I'm fine, you worry wart. But I need you to get to the alley along side Captain Comics." Wildwing looked relieved, thinking something quite mundane. "Oh, and bring the Migrator." added Nosedive.

Wildwing's eyes widened, worried again. "Why?" he demanded.

"You'll see." answered Nosedive in a singsong voice before cutting the connection. "That ought to bring him really fast." said Nosedive with humor.

[Who was that?] asked Jin.

"My older brother, Wildwing. The biggest worrier on the planet." said Nosedive a smile. 

"Dude, it's a dragon!" yelled Thrash suddenly. 

Nosedive rolled his eyes and sat on the ground. "So, he lives." he said sarcastically. 

Thrash ignored that. "Can you talk to it?" asked the human.

Nosedive nodded as Jin climbed into his lap again. "Have been for a while."

"How come I can't hear anything?" asked Thrash. Nosedive shrugged; dang if he knew. Thrash came forward a little. "Is it safe?" he asked.

Nosedive frowned. "His name is Jin and he was only protecting me from what he saw as a danger." he said. 

Jin lifted his head at his name. [What is the other saying?] he asked.

Nosedive looked down in surprise. "You can't understand him?" asked Nosedive.

Jin shook his head, rumbling. [No, don't understand a thing.] he answered.

Nosedive was about to speak again when he heard wheels screech. He looked up to find the entire team entering the alley in battle gear. Thrash ran back inside. "Nosedive?" yelled Wildwing. They saw the dragon on the teen's lap and brought up their weapons. "Don't move!"

Jin reacted to this threat just as he had to the one before. He placed himself in front of Nosedive and hissed at the other ducks, baring his teeth. "No stop!" screamed Nosedive. He put his arms around the dragon's neck, much to everyone's surprise. "Don't shoot, he's only trying to protect me." cried to Nosedive to the ducks.

"What?" demanded Mallory.

Nosedive ignored the outburst as Wildwing ordered weapons down. "Jin, this is my family." said Nosedive to the young dragon. Jin sat down with Nosedive's arms still around his neck, accepting this explanation much easier than the one for Thrash and that gun.

"Nosedive, what is going on?" asked Wildwing.

[What's he saying?] asked Jin immediately.

"He wants to know what's going on." Nosedive answered the dragon softly. "Everyone," he said to the team. "meet Jin." Nosedive presented the fledgling dragon. Jin rumbled and pulled his head up proudly. 

"Huh?" asked Duke.

[Are they impressed?] asked Jin.

Nosedive chuckled sickly. "Something like that." he answered. 

"Nosedive, who are you talking to?" asked Tanya.

Nosedive pointed to Jin. "Him." Wildwing groaned. Nosedive frowned and stuck out his healed hand. "I can. I touched Jin and the same thing happened as before with the other dragon. Only Jin healing me." Wildwing started toward the pair but Jin tensed. "Umm, it might be better if you ditched the armor, bro." said Nosedive. Wildwing shed his armor and was left in his jacket. "Jin, this is my brother, Wildwing." said Nosedive, as the white duck was allowed to come closer.

[The one in the tiny box?] asked Jin. Nosedive blinked until he realized the little dragon meant the comm and nodded. [Greetings, Wildwing.] said Jin as Wildwing gripped Nosedive's wrist to look at the healed hand. 

"Jin says hi." translated Nosedive. 

Wildwing looked up from his brother's hand and blinked. "Um, hello…Jin." stuttered Wildwing, unsure if his brother was really talking with the dragon or just had gone nuts. 

"Wildwing says hi." Nosedive told Jin. He used his other hand to point at the others. "Jin, this is Duke, Mallory, Tanya, and the really big guy is Grin but don't worry he wouldn't hurt a fly. Everybody, this is Jin." Jin bowed as everyone muttered a greeting. "They all say hi." supplied Nosedive. 

Duke came forward and toed one jewel on the ground before picking it up. "Where did the diamond come from?" he asked.

"From Jin." answered Nosedive as Tanya also looked at his hand. He pointed awkwardly to behind the dumpster. "There's a whole bunch over here." 

Duke walked over and gasped. "It's the jack pot!" he cried.

"They're Jin's tears." said Nosedive, frowning as Tanya poked his palm. "Are you quite done?" he demanded. 

"This is amazing." said Tanya, letting him go. "This morning you had at least a sever sun burn on your hand but now it's totally gone." She pushed at her glasses and looked closely at Jin. "How did you do it?" Tanya asked.

Jin leaned away from the blond duck. [Nosedive?] he asked, unsure.

"Tanya wants to know how you healed my hand." said Nosedive.

[I don't know. I just did.] answered Jin.

"He says he doesn't know." answered Nosedive, slapping Tanya's hand away from the young dragon. "He's not a lab rat, Tannie." 

Tanya was successfully distracted. "Don't call me that." she said, standing. 

Thrash and Mookie burst out of the door and were met by Mallory's puck launcher. The human pair froze and Jin hissed. Mallory sighed in annoyance as she lowered her weapon. "I should have shot you." she grumbled. 

"Dude, I told you! Nosedive has a dragon." exclaimed Thrash.

Mookie lifted a camera and Jin squeaked as the flash went off. "Mookie!" cried Nosedive rubbing at his eyes. 

"It's a dragon, Dive!" exclaimed Mookie, taking another picture. 

Grin lifted the device from her hands. "I do not believe that is very polite, young one." he rumbled. Mookie squeaked and nodded quickly. 

[What was that?] asked Jin, rubbed at his snout. 

"A camera." answered Nosedive.

[A what?] asked Jin again.

"Umm, a device that transfers your image onto a piece of paper." tried Nosedive.

[Oh.] said Jin, satisfied. 

"Hey, Dive, would Jin here mind if I took some of these jewels?" asked Duke, holding one up to the light.

Nosedive asked with a sigh and Jin nodded. [He can have all of them, if he wants.]

"He says help yourself."

"Awesome." exclaimed Duke, gathering them all. Mallory snorted and walked out of the alley.

[What is Lady Mallory's problem?] asked Jin. The dragon was surprised when Nosedive started to laugh. [Was it something I said?]

Nosedive gasped in air. "Lady Mallory, indeed!" he guffawed. 

Wildwing sighed and pulled his brother up. "Come on, let's go before we draw a bigger crowd than we have." The white duck was surprised when his little brother wrapped his arms around his neck and hugged him. "Nosedive?" he asked. 

"Thank you." said Nosedive softly. "For every time you ever had to comfort me or calm me down. I never realized how hard it was until I had to do it myself. Thank you for being you." Wildwing's eyes softened and he wrapped his arms around Nosedive. After a moment, Nosedive wiggled and Wildwing let him go easily. "Come on Jin, I'll show you the Migrator." said Nosedive, no trace of seriousness in his voice or eyes. The golden fledgling raced after the young duck as they ran from the alley.

"What was that about?" asked Duke, coming up next to Wildwing.

Wildwing shrugged. "I don't know but I'm grateful anyway." He walked at a more sedate pace to the Migrator.

Tanya looked at the pile of jewels that Duke held. "You know, those probably are not diamonds." she said. 

Duke shrugged and walked away. "I don't care." Tanya sighed and followed him. Grin handed Mookie back her camera and walked after them. 

Mookie and Thrash looked at each other. "Dude." they said together. 

"And this is my room." said Nosedive as he walked into his bunk in the Pond.

Jin followed him into the room and looked around. [This is where you live?] he asked.

Nosedive pulled off his shoes and lay down on his bed. "Well, I live in the Pond but this room is my personal domain." he answered. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then opened them. 

Jin came close and rumbled. [You're in pain.] he accused with concern.

Nosedive nodded. "Yeah, I have a headache again." 

[Will a nap do any good?] asked Jin.

"I don't think I have much of a choice the way things are going." answered Nosedive with a yawn.

Jin hopped up onto the bed and lay beside him. [Sleep then.] he ordered.

Nosedive snickered. "You sound way too much like Wing." he said with tired humor. His eyes began to drift shut and Jin made no answer as the young duck slipped into sleep. The fledging resisted his desire to worry at the blanket with his claws, knowing that he would only ruin it. Jin wondered if talking with him was hurting his new friend. To try and help Jin softly blew a small amount of gold bust into Nosedive's face and watched with satisfaction as Nosedive breathed in the healing dust without a problem. The young dragon lay his head down and dozed until the door to the room opened. 

Wildwing paused as he saw the pair on the bed. Nosedive was fast asleep as Jin raised his head and looked at Wildwing. Seeing this, Wildwing waved for the dragon to stay and left. Jin blinked at the door and then settled again. About two hours later Drake One's alarm caused both to fall from the bed. Jin squeaked as Nosedive fell onto his back and the duck quickly rolled off of him. [What is that?] demanded the dragon.

"Drake One's alarm." said Nosedive, standing. "Come on." Both rushed from the room.

[What is a Drake One?] asked Jin as they reached the Ready Room.

Nosedive pointed to the large computer screen and platform where the others were already at. "That's Drake One." he answered, hurrying up to the others. 

"We have teleportation energy at Sea Side Park." announced Tanya. "It's Draganus."

Wildwing glanced at his brother and Jin. "Maybe you two better stay here." he said.

"What? No way, Wing!" exclaimed Nosedive.

[Nosedive?] asked Jin anxiously.

"Drake One has gotten a fix on the guys we think are responsible for bringing you here and Wing wants us to stay at the Pond." answered Nosedive.

[No! It could be Mama!] yelled Jin. Nosedive winced and the young dragon gasped, remembering his earlier thoughts. [Sorry.] he said softly.

"It's all right, Jin. You were just a little loud, that's all." reassured Nosedive. He looked at his frowning brother and made a face. "I'm fine. Jin wants to go too. His Mother could be out there with Draggy." 

Duke lay a hand on Wildwing's shoulder. "Let them come. You can see how protective that little dragon is of Nosedive, they'll be fine." he said softly.

Wildwing sighed. "All right, we all go." Nosedive cheered and told Jin. "But, you two stay together." added Wildwing. 

Nosedive nodded. "Absolutely." he agreed. 

"To the Migrator." ordered Wildwing. Nosedive and Jin raced ahead as the others followed. "I should have stayed in bed this morning, I just know it." muttered Wildwing. 

Jin sat under Nosedive's chair and tried his best not to slide around on the metal floor. [I no like this.] complained the dragon. 

Nosedive chuckled. "Sorry, you won't fit into a chair." he said. Duke blinked from next to him before the older duck realized Nosedive was talking to Jin. 

"We're here." announced Wildwing as he cut the engine. Sea Side Park had been abandoned for years. It used to be an amusement park and had now fallen into ruin. The sun was beginning to set and threw long shadows across the crumbling park. 

The team stepped out from the Migrator and Jin twitched his tail. [Black magic.] he said.

Nosedive blinked down at him and knelt. "What do you mean, 'black magic'?" he asked.

[There is a black magic user in the park. I can sense him.] answered Jin.

Nosedive smiled. "That has to be Wraith." he muttered. Nosedive looked up at Wildwing. "Jin can sense the black magic that Wraith uses." he said. "Jin can you led us to where the black magic is coming from?" asked Nosedive of the young dragon.

[Yes.] answered Jin. 

"Jin can led us to those Saurian scum real quick." said Nosedive, standing. 

Wildwing nodded. "It will save us from searching the entire park. Led the way, Jin." said the white duck.

"Do your thing." supplied Nosedive as Jin waited for the okay to go ahead. The little dragon took off into the deepening shadows with the team behind him. They found Siege, Chameleon, and Wraith behind an old merry-go-round. The three Saurians were standing around a large box with a satellite on top. 

"Oh, this is familiar." muttered Duke as he edged behind a wooden sea horse. 

"What are they trying to do?" asked Mallory softly. Suddenly, Siege turned the device on and both Jin and Nosedive fell back against a pole, hands and claws over their ears. The others could only here a slight humming from the machine. 

Wraith slapped the device off and both duck and dragon relaxed, panting softly. "You fool, don't turn it on until Lord Draganus gets here with the collar." scolded the ancient Saurian. 

Siege growled. "Well, if Chameleon hadn't lost that little kid dragon we wouldn't be doing this at all." he sneered. 

Chameleon shifted into Curly of the Three Stooges. "Ah, I wasn't my fault Moe." 

Tanya and Wildwing made their way over to Nosedive and Jin as the Saurians talked. "What's wrong?" asked Wildwing quietly. Gently, he took Nosedive's hands away from his ears and the younger duck finally opened his eyes. Wildwing saw pain again in his brother's eyes. 

"That hurt, a lot." hissed Nosedive. "It went straight through my mind." 

Jin was shaking his head, jewel tears falling from his eyes. [Me too.] he said.

"I think they mean to try and get Jin's Mom to come with that thing." said Nosedive. 

Just then a green glow appeared and Draganus transported into the park. The Saurian dumped a large gold collar onto the ground and growled at his henchmen. "Is that thing ready yet?" he demanded. Everyone on the merry-go-round froze.

"Sure, boss." exclaimed Chameleon.

"Good. We'll wait for night fall before calling the dragon and this time, no mistakes." said Draganus. 

Chameleon wondered over to the merry-go-round. Jin froze, trying to look like a wooden creature. Nosedive curled himself into the shadows as Chameleon stopped before his and Jin's hiding place. "Geez, they make these things uglier every time." said Chameleon, rapping Jin on the snout. Jin flinched and rubbed at his snout, startling Chameleon. "Yo, boss, it's the kid dragon!" yelled Chameleon.

The ducks stood from their places. "And the ducks!" yelled Siege.

"Ducks Rock!" yelled Tanya, firing at and hitting the machine. Jin stood and spat a small stream of fire around Chameleon, trapping him. 

Jin and Nosedive jumped from the merry-go-round. Wraith appeared before them in a puff of smoke. "Be a good little ducky and surrender." ordered Wraith. Jin didn't wait and blew a plume of gold dust at him. Wraith screamed as his arm began to dissolve and Nosedive and Jin rushed away.

"That was so cool, Jin." said Nosedive as he pulled his puck gun from his holster. 

[Thank you.] said Jin, throwing fire at Siege. The big orange lizard jumped back, not wanting to be burned. Suddenly, Jin felt himself being lifted into the air. He twisted his head to see Draganus holding him up. In his other hand struggled Nosedive. [Let him go!] cried Jin. The Saurian could not hear the little dragon but Nosedive winced at the anger in his friend's voice.

"I'd stop that if I were you." drawled Draganus, lifting Nosedive off his feet. The team turned and gasped.

"Release him, Draganus." yelled Wildwing.

Draganus seemed to think about it. "No, I don't think I will." His henchmen came to his side, chuckling. "I now have the little dragon and the little pain. I see myself in a very good position right now." smirked Draganus. Jin reached over and bit the hand holding Nosedive. Draganus roared and dropped the young duck. Nosedive, instead of running, pivoted on one heel and gave a roundhouse kick to Draganus' leg. The Saurian roared again, falling backward onto Siege, and Jin jumped away. Both dragon and duck raced back to the team as they raised their weapons again. 

"I think your position just fell a bit, Lizard-lips." called Duke with a smirk. The Saurian's growled and teleported away, taking the broken machine and the gold collar with them.

Wildwing turned and hugged Nosedive. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Nosedive wiggled in his brother's grasp. "I'm good, thanks to Jin." he said.

"Yeah, thanks Jin. You really saved our tail feathers today." said Duke. 

Jin looked at Nosedive as Duke spoke. "Everyone's thanking you for your help, Jin." supplied Nosedive with a grin. 

Jin lay his tail across his nose. [Welcome.] he said sheepishly. 

"I do believe that is the equivalent of a blush." stated Grin. 

Everyone laughed, making Jin close his eyes and groan. He opened his eyes again to find Nosedive hugging him. For a moment, the young duck seemed to think and then really concentrate. [Can you still hear me?] asked Nosedive's voice.

Jin perked up. [Yes, yes! You're not moving your beak anymore. Neato!]

Nosedive smiled. [Thank you for saving my life, Jin.] Nosedive stood before Jin could answer. "Let's get back home. I'm hungry." said Nosedive out loud. Jin's stomach rumbled at those words. Nosedive laughed. "I guess that makes two of us." he exclaimed. Nosedive raced off to the Migrator with Jin.

The rest of the team followed when Duke suddenly stopped. Wildwing looked back at him. "What is it, Duke?"

Duke looked at everyone. "What are we going to feed Jin?" he asked.

"Huh." muttered Tanya, pushing at her glasses. She shrugged after a moment, looking at Wildwing. 

"Nosedive! We need to talk!" yelled Wildwing, hurrying to the Migrator. The team laughed and ran after them. 

"Jin, I really think I should cook the chicken before you eat it." said Tanya, setting the packet of frozen chicken on the Kitchen island.

Jin looked at Nosedive, head cocked. "Tanya thinks she should cook the chicken before you eat it." supplied Nosedive. He stuffed a slice of pizza into his beak and waited for Jin to say something.

[Why?] asked the dragon. Nosedive simply picked up the package and banged it against the counter, showing that it was rock solid. [Ah, then I would be grateful if Lady Tanya would cook the food.] said Jin.

"Got for it, Lady Tanya." replied Nosedive, flipping a hand. Tanya blinked at the young duck.

Duke snickered. "I think that's what Jin calls you girls. Ladies." said the gray duck. Nosedive shrugged and ate another piece of pizza. Tanya rolled her eyes and looked around in the cabinets for a pan to cook the chicken in. 

Jin lay down by the stool Nosedive was sitting on and put his head down on the floor with a puff of air. Nosedive looked down at the little dragon and then glanced around at the others in the Kitchen. They were all busy doing their own thing; Duke and Mallory were fighting over the pepper until Wildwing snatched it out of their hands. [Jin?] asked Nosedive, hoping he was doing it right and that the little dragon could hear him again. 

Jin started and lifted his head. [Yea, Nosedive?] he asked, looking at the duck.

Nosedive smiled, grateful the dragon could still hear him. [Are you all right?] he asked.

Jin lowered his head and closed his eyes. [I miss my Mama.] the dragon answered. 

Nosedive slid from his stool and knelt on the floor. He put his arms around Jin's neck and hugged him. [We'll find your Mother, Jin. Remember, I promised and I never go back on a promise.] said Nosedive. Jin pushed his head against Nosedive's stomach and began to cry. None of the other ducks said a thing, silently understanding what was happening. Nosedive began to move the resulting clear jewels from his lap as they started to pile up. He held one up to his face and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, at least my shirt isn't getting wet." he said out loud. Everyone, even Jin, laughed. 

Tanya smiled and held up a plate of cooked chicken. "Tell Jin that his food is done, Nosedive." she said.

Nosedive pushed Jin from his lap and stood. "Food time, Jin." he announced. Tanya set the plate down in front of Jin and the little dragon picked up the pieces to eat them. Tanya studied Jin eating, not knowing how he was going to go about eating and fascinated that he ate using his paws like hands. Nosedive pushed at her arm with his elbow and Tanya jumped in surprise. She blushed and sat to eat her own dinner. Nosedive rolled his eyes and sat a large mixing bowl filled with water down next to the plate. "There you go, Jin." he said. 

[Thank you, Nosedive. And thank you, Lady Tanya.] said Jin, lapping at the water like a cat.

Nosedive hopped back onto his stool. "Jin says thanks Tannie." he said.

Tanya sighed. "How many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?" she asked.

"I'll let you know when you get there." replied Nosedive with a smile. 

Jin sat on the couch in Nosedive's room. The tip of his tail he used to push the bottoms of the remote control. In the background water could be heard. Jin was flipping through channels when Wildwing walked into the room. He blinked at Jin and then at the TV. "What are you doing?" he asked. Jin just looked at him. Wildwing slapped his forehead. "What am I doing? You can't talk to me." he muttered. Jin went back to flipping channels. Wildwing listened for a moment. "Well, that answers that." he said after a moment. Jin looked at him again. "The shower." replied Wildwing with a hand gesture toward the bathroom. Jin nodded that he understood and cocked his head at the TV. Wildwing stood for a moment when the shower turned off. He went over to his little brother's bed and sat to wait. Nosedive came out a few minutes later, wearing long black cloth pants with buttons up the sides and a white t-shirt. He stopped outside his bathroom door and pressed his fingers against his eyes, sighing. "Nosedive?" asked Wildwing in concern. 

Nosedive's eyes flew open and he looked at Wildwing in surprise. "Didn't know you were in here." he said. Nosedive walked over to the bed and sat next to his brother, beginning to comb his hair. 

Wildwing snatched the comb out of Nosedive's hand and began to comb his little brother's wet hair himself. "What's wrong, Dive? You looked like you were in pain." he said. 

Nosedive sighed and closed his eyes, allowing Wildwing to comb his hair. "I have a headache, no big." he replied. 

Jin flipped the TV off. [Another one?] asked the dragon.

[Yes.] answered Nosedive, Wildwing unaware that they were talking at all. 

"You've been having a lot of headaches lately, Nosedive, and then there was the time you passed out after touching Jin's mother." said Wildwing with a frown. Nosedive was so grateful that Jin couldn't understand Wildwing right then. He really didn't want to set Jin off into a crying fit. Nosedive simply hummed as his answer. "Will you go to the Infirmary and get some aspirin?" asked Wildwing.

"Yeah." answered Nosedive through a yawn.

Wildwing smiled and set down the comb. "If you still have a headache in the morning I want you to tell me, all right?" asked Wildwing.

Nosedive looked at his brother. "Sure, Wing." he said. Nosedive hugged his brother. "G'night." said Nosedive.

Wildwing pushed Nosedive's hair away from his face and smiled. "Goodnight, baby bro." he said, standing to leave. 

The white duck left the room and Nosedive flopped back on the bed with a sigh. He felt the bed move but didn't open his eyes until Jin blew gold dust into his face. The pounding in his head lessened and then disappeared. "Thanks, Jin." muttered Nosedive. Jin rumbled and settled against Nosedive's side to sleep. In few seconds both the young duck and dragon were fast asleep. 

Wraith appeared in a bloom of smoke and looked grimly at Draganus. "We have located the dragon, Lord Draganus." reported the old Saurian.

Draganus smiled and curled his hands closed. "Yes." he hissed. 

About an hour before dawn Nosedive sat straight up in bed, pushing Jin onto the floor. Nosedive blinked rapidly, not seeing his room but somewhere else. [Nosedive?] asked Jin in concern. Nosedive began to scream, placing his hands over his eyes. [Nosedive!] yelled Jin. He tried to touch the young duck but was only thrown away when Nosedive began to fight. In fright the little dragon backed away to the table and began to produce a loud panicked howl. 

Wildwing and the rest of the team appeared in the doorway, brought both by their younger teammate's and the little dragon's cries. "Nosedive!" yelled Wildwing as he saw his brother screaming on his bed and fighting an invisible enemy. Jin stopped his cries as Wildwing entered and pushed himself under the table, crying jewel tears. Wildwing rushed to the bed and tried to get a hold of Nosedive, not wanting to hurt him but knowing that if this continued Nosedive would hurt himself. "Nosedive, it's me! Wildwing!" yelled the older brother. He looked at Nosedive's eyes and saw the wild look in them. 

"What's wrong with him?" called Duke over the noise.

"I don't know. But where ever he is, it's not here." answered Wildwing, pulling his brother into his lap and getting a firm grip on him. 

He didn't know where they had come from but suddenly they were there. Beasts smaller than himself from the forest dark. He rose, towering over them and roared. One smelled of dark magic, strong black magic in the tall gray one. They fired at him and pain appeared in his right arm. Growling, he spread his wings and prepared to take flight. Wait, he didn't have wings. And he knew these beasts. Siege, that was it. Siege who? That one! The orange one! With the weapon? Yes, move! He frantically flapped his wings but was not quick enough to escape the net that spread over him. Trapped! You have to get away! I can't! Energy crackled through the net, fire touching his scales. Pain! Pain! Away! Away! Get away! Get away! The orange beast is lifting a large gun. Siege! No, get away from me! Siege pushes a sharp pain against his leg and more fire shoots through his body. Pain! Pain! What is happening? Silence…

Nosedive slumped in Wildwing's arms, panting but now quiet. "Mallory, get me a glass of water!" barked Wildwing. The female duck rushed to do as asked as Wildwing pushed back Nosedive's hair, begging his little brother to open his eyes. "Come on, baby bro. Look at me. Tell me what is happening." he muttered. "Everything is fine. I'm here and you're safe." he continued, trying to comfort. 

Mallory returned with the water and Wildwing supported Nosedive's head to get him to drink when Nosedive opened his eyes. Wildwing paused as Nosedive looked at him with blurry eyes. He lifted a hand, revealing a livid bruise on his right arm, and pushed away the water. "Something has happening to Jin's Mother. Draganus has her." said Nosedive softly. His eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out as Jin let out a long keen of sorrow.

[Mama!] 

"Let's get him to the Infirmary." suggested Tanya. Wildwing nodded, in a bit of shock, and lifted his little brother. Jin scrambled out from under the table and hurried after them, sliding on the metal floor of the hallway. Tanya slapped on the lights in the Infirmary and Wildwing placed Nosedive on a bed. The rest of the team stood in the doorway and Jin pushed between their legs to enter the Infirmary. 

"Hey, wait Jin." cried Duke, trying to get a hold of the little dragon's tail. Jin flipped his tail away and rushed over to the bed Nosedive was on. 

Tanya was lifting an oxygen mask over Nosedive's beak when Jin pushed at her arm. She almost fell over as the dragon reared back on his hind legs and placed his front paws on the bed. "Jin!" cried Wildwing. He jerked back as Jin let out a large bloom of gold dust aimed at Nosedive. Almost immediately Nosedive's erratic breathing eased and his body relaxed. Jin sank down and crawled under the bed, crying jewels as he curled into a ball. 

There was silence for a moment as Nosedive's eyes fluttered open. The young duck swallowed and blinked slowly. "I hate this." he muttered. Nosedive surprised everyone as he rolled off the bed and dropped to the floor. "Jin! Are you all right?" he exclaimed.

[Mama!] cried the little dragon, hidden under the bed.

Nosedive winced and fell back. "We'll find your Mother, Jin." he reassured him. 

Teary amber eyes looked at him from the shadows. [How?] he asked.

Nosedive smiled and rolled onto his knees. "Well, I bet I could find her if I really tried. After all, I knew she was captured and maybe I can find her again."

Jin crawled out from under the bed and onto Nosedive's lap. [You can?]

"It's worth a try." answered Nosedive. He looked up at Tanya and Wildwing. 

"Are you all right, little bro?" asked Wildwing, coming around to kneel next to Nosedive.

Nosedive looked at his arm and nodded when he found nothing there. "I'm fine. Jin seems to have healed me completely." He chuckled softly. "I don't know what I'll do without Jin. I'll be covered in bruises." Nosedive said with humor. 

Everyone chuckled, tension falling away. "So what, black and blue are good colors on you." commented Duke. Nosedive looked sourly at the gray duck as everyone laughed.

[Oh dear.] said Jin softly.

Nosedive looked down at him with a frown. "What's wrong?" he asked.

[Oh dear.] repeated the dragon. 

Nosedive gasped as Jin began to glow. It became so bright that he had to cover his eyes. "What going on?" he cried. Someone pulled him back and he felt his brother's arms wrap around him as they lay on the floor. "Jin?" Nosedive cried again, worried when no answer came to him. The golden light could be seen even through his eyelids and he buried his face in Wildwing's chest. The light began to fade and Nosedive lifted his head. He gasped at what he saw. It was Jin, but the dragon now standing before him was five times larger than the little dragon he knew. The larger gold dragon stretched his wings carefully out. "Jin?" asked Nosedive cautiously. 

The dragon turned his head and looked at him. Amber eyes sparkled at him and the two curving horns were now tipped with white, the same color that marked his snout. [Yes, Nosedive?] asked Jin. 

Nosedive noticed that the dragon's voice had changed, become older. "Wow." breathed Nosedive. He squeaked as Wildwing hauled him up and back. "Ack! Wait, it's Jin! It's Jin!" he cried. 

Wildwing stopped and eyed the dragon suspiciously. "You sure?" he asked.

Nosedive nodded and wiggled out of his grasp. "Yes, already!" He walked up to Jin and looked up. The dragon now towered over him, geez, he towered over Grin. "What happened?" Nosedive asked.

[I grew up.] said Jin, lowering himself to the ground so that he was now eye level with Nosedive.

"What do you mean 'you grew up'?" Nosedive asked.

[Dragons do not grow like other creatures. Where you are always changing, dragons make all their changes at one time. Now was just my time.] answered Jin. He turned his head his left. [Is Lady Tanya all right? She seems frightened.] asked Jin.

Nosedive looked and found Tanya sitting against a bed, just staring at Jin. "Umm, you okay Tannie?" asked Nosedive, going over to her. 

"Big. Big. Big." muttered the blond female. 

Duke and Grin came over and hauled her to her feet. "Don't worry. It's just a throw back from the whole dinosaur thing." said Duke. 

"She's scared of how big you are." supplied Nosedive. 

Jin looked troubled. [I am sorry that I have frightened her. It was not my intention.] he said.

Nosedive flapped a hand at him. "Not your fault, Jin." he reassured him. He jumped slightly as Tanya suddenly yelled at him.

"Nosedive, what just happened?" demanded Tanya, pushing away helping hands.

"Jin says that dragons don't grow like other guys, that dragons change all at once." explained Nosedive. Someone tapped him on his left shoulder and he turned to find nothing. Jin chuckled in his mind and Nosedive turned to find him waving his tail. The others chuckled, easing them. "Ha ha ha. Real funny." drawled Nosedive. 

Jin became serious. [I have a request to make my friend.] said the dragon.

"Shoot." said Nosedive.

[I beg your pardon.] exclaimed Jin in surprise.

Nosedive chuckled. "Just ask, Jin."

[I very much wish to go find my Mother. If this Draganus is as dangerous as you say then I do not wish for her to be in his possession for long.] pleaded Jin. 

"Nosedive?" asked Wildwing.

Nosedive turned to his brother and punched one hand into the other. "Jin wants to go Draganus hunting." he said. Wildwing looked doubtful. "I know that I can find Jin's Mother, Wing." he exclaimed. He walked up to his brother and looked him in the eyes. "I have to try." Nosedive said softly. 

After a moment, Wildwing nodded. "Agreed. You can try and find Jin's Mother." he said, understanding in his voice. 

"And then we'll kick Draganus back into Limbo." exclaimed Mallory.

Nosedive turned and gave Jin a thumbs up sign. "Let's go find your Mother, Jin." he said. 

Jin sighed. [Thank you, Nosedive. I'll never be able to repay you.] he said, following everyone out into the hall awkwardly.

Nosedive smiled, walking backward so he could face Jin. "We'll work something out." he joked. Nosedive kept his eyes on the walls, afraid that Jin's new size would get him stuck in the Pond. Thankfully, they made it to the hanger with no accidents. 

"Time for a quick change, guys." ordered Wildwing. Everyone changed into his or her gear. "We'll use the Aerowing. We'll cover more ground that way." he said. 

Nosedive looked at the Aerowing and then at Jin. [Can you fit in there?] he asked silently with worry.

Jin shook his head. [No.] Nosedive was about to say something to Wildwing when Jin spoke again. [Nosedive, are you frightened of heights?] asked the dragon.

Nosedive shook his head also. [No.] he answered.

Jin looked pleased. [Good. Tell the others to get into the Aerowing and launch. You'll take another route.] he told the young duck. Nosedive looked doubtful. [Trust me.] said Jin softly. 

Nosedive nodded and went over to Wildwing. "You guys go in the Aerowing. Me and Jin are going out together." he said. Wildwing was about to ask more but his little brother raced away with Jin. Wildwing shook his head with a sigh, a bad feeling settling into his chest. 

Nosedive and Jin watched as the Aerowing took off from the Pond outside in the parking lot. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jin. How am I going to get around? I need to go get one of the Duck Cycles." he complained.

Jin lowered himself to the ground. [Climb aboard.] he said in a light tone.

Nosedive stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" he stammered out.

[I'm quite serious.] replied Jin. The dragon looked at Nosedive. [You're not frightened, are you?] he asked with a chuckle.

Nosedive sniffed. "I may be scared of a lot of stuff, Jin, but heights isn't one of them." he said. Nosedive carefully climbed onto Jin, settling just behind his neck and before his wings.

[Secure?] asked Jin, as he stood. 

Nosedive placed his hands on Jin's neck and looked down to the ground. He blinked and was reminded of the time that Grin had lifted him above his head at his request. Geez, he must be almost 15 feet high. Nosedive swallowed. "I'm sitting on top of a dragon without a seat belt, Jin! There is no such thing as secure!" he exclaimed. Jin chuckled and shifted experimentally. Nosedive squeaked. "What if I fall?" he asked, becoming scared despite his best efforts not to be. 

[Then I will catch you.] answered Jin softly. Nosedive looked at the dragon and Jin turned his head to look back at him. [Do you want down?] he asked.

Nosedive smiled and relaxed. "No, I trust you." he said.

Jin closed his eyes and sighed. [Thank you.] he said. Jin looked up at the darkened sky. [Ready?]

"As I'll ever be." replied Nosedive. He wrapped his arms around Jin's neck as the dragon leapt into the air. As the ground quickly dropped away Nosedive clamped his eyes shut and tried his best not to scream.

After a moment of rushing air Jin spoke to him. [Open your eyes my friend.]

Nosedive slowly opened one eye and then both. The city was far below them but somehow the distance didn't seem as frightening this far up. The lights in all the buildings sparkled and Nosedive could see the Mall and the Pond as Jin gently banked to come around. Slowly, Nosedive sat up, his eyes watching the city. After a moment the young duck looked up and saw all the stars and the moon in the sky. It was like standing in a place between worlds, seeing both but not being a part of either. The cool night air was a strong breeze and Nosedive raised one hand as if he could touch the air. "It's beautiful." he muttered. He sat in a dreamy daze as Jin flew smoothly under him before he realized that there was little chance Jin could hear him talk while up here. [It's beautiful.] he repeated in his mind.

[I'm glad you enjoy it.] said Jin softly. They were silent for a moment before Nosedive's wrist comm beeped and popped open. 

Wildwing frowned; expecting to see Nosedive riding a Duck Cycle and wearing a helmet but instead seeing what looked like Jin's gold scales and a moving view of the city at night. "Nosedive?" he asked. Tanya made a sound in her throat and tapped frantically at his shoulder but he pushed her hand away. "Not now Tanya. I'm trying to figure out where Nosedive is."

"I could tell you." said Duke in an astonished voice. Wildwing looked at him to see Duke out of his seat and looking out the window. In fact, the whole team was at the window. 

With a sigh, Wildwing stood and went to the window. What he saw made him gasp. "Nosedive! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" he yelled, seeing his little brother sitting on a flying Jin. 

They saw Nosedive wince and raise his hand. Wildwing looked at his comm to see Nosedive on the small screen, hair flying and him smiling. "You say something?" yelled Nosedive into the comm.

"Are you insane?" demanded Wildwing.

[The Aerowing is to our left.] supplied Jin, slowing a little to match the flying machine.

Nosedive looked over and saw everyone at the window. He waved at them and Duke and Grin waved back as Mallory and Tanya stared and Wildwing yelled. "You stop that right now!" ordered Wildwing.

"That really wouldn't be a good idea." muttered Tanya. Wildwing glared at her.

Nosedive laughed, looking at them through the window. "Relax. I trust Jin." he yelled into the comm to be heard over the wind. He looked around himself and nodded. "I'm going to start now. Follow Jin and me!" Nosedive slapped shut his comm. 

Everyone on the Aerowing quickly returned to their seats. "If he lives through this I'm going to kill him." muttered Wildwing. "Don't lose that dragon." ordered the white duck. 

[I'm going to try and contact your Mother now, Jin. I don't know what will happen but please don't let me fall.] said Nosedive to Jin.

[I swear it.] answered Jin. Nosedive nodded and closed his eyes and suddenly he wasn't flying on Jin anymore but sitting in a large dark room. His whole body hurt, including his wings. He was blinking his eyes and trying to get up the strength to stand. Nosedive righted himself and pulled back a little. Suddenly his world shifted again and he was back on Jin. Nosedive groaned and slumped a little. [Nosedive?] asked Jin softly.

[I was almost there, Jin. Almost there.] Nosedive rubbed his head and opened his eyes. [Go east.] he said without thought. Jin turned easily at Nosedive's command and the Aerowing followed. Nosedive took a deep breath and reached out again. His wings hurt. He blew out a hot snort of frustration and his snout turned back into a beak. Suddenly, he was standing next to a large warm body. [Hello?] Nosedive asked.

[About time you got it right.] said an annoyed voice. A large head with spikes lifted up and looked at him. [Who are you?] asked the red dragon. Nosedive thought about the first time they had met and found the scene flashing before him. The dragon snorted. [Well, I was a bit frustrated then. Sorry.] 

Nosedive looked around and saw red walls but also stars and the city lights faintly. He ignored it. [Where are you?] asked Nosedive.

The red dragon lay her head back down. [Why would you care?] said the dragon in despair. 

Nosedive narrowed his eyes at the dragon. [I do not have time for this.] said Nosedive and let loose. The dragon jerked up as everything flashed before her eyes.

[My child!] yelled the dragon. Nosedive was tossed up through the Raptor and into the sky. He twisted in the air and looked below and saw the Raptor in disguise. And then he was falling again. 

[Nosedive!] yelled Jin as Nosedive fell from his back. He quickly dove and positioned himself for Nosedive to fall onto his back. [Nosedive! Are you all right?] Jin asked, concerned. He gasped as a picture flashed through his mind.

[There! Go there!] gasped Nosedive as he clung to Jin's back. Jin snapped his wings and rushed through the air. The Aerowing's engines revved and the flying machine followed as the adolescent dragon gained speed. 

In a few seconds, Jin landed on a rooftop and looked across the street toward an abandoned ice cream parlor. [That is where she is?] asked Jin. 

Nosedive slipped to the floor and nodded. "It's protected by a cloaking device." he said. Finding it easier this time, Nosedive reached out for the Mother dragon.

[Are you all right?] asked the dragon immediately. Nosedive could feel her worry. 

[I'm fine.] answered Nosedive as he stood on the roof and looked at the ice cream parlor. [My friends and I are going to get you out.] he said.

[The evil beasts have entered the room and have put some sort of band on my neck. Be careful, I do not know what they plan on doing.] cautioned the red dragon.

On the roof, Wildwing and the others rushed up to Nosedive. "Are you all right?" asked Wildwing. He blinked as Nosedive simply raised a silencing hand.

[It sounds like they're going to try and control your mind with it.] said Nosedive. He heard the red dragon laugh.

[They shall find that a hard task indeed. Dragons are not like most creatures.] she replied. [Jin?] she called after a moment. 

Nosedive felt Jin move up next to him and call back. [Mother! Are you well?] asked Jin.

[Mother?] echoed the red dragon. [Ah, my child, you have grown up haven't you?] she said sadly.

[I'm sorry, Mother.] said Jin just as sadly.

[Do not worry yourself, Jin. I only wish I could have seen it.] said the red dragon.

[He's magnificent.] supplied Nosedive.

[All the more I wish to see him, child.] said the dragon, speaking to Nosedive. [Now, get me out of here!]

[As you wish!] replied Nosedive. Nosedive turned to Wildwing, surprising the white feathered duck, and point at the ice cream parlor. "There. That's the Raptor." he said.

Dubious, Wildwing scanned the parlor and gasped as the Raptor's image came up. "It is the Raptor." he exclaimed. 

[I'm being let out!] cried the red dragon suddenly.

Nosedive frowned. [What?] he asked but he was soon answered when the Raptor appeared. A hatch opened and the red dragon burst forth. Nosedive gasped as Wildwing pulled him away from the edge of the roof. They watched as the red dragon twisted in the air, looking as if in pain.

"What's wrong with her?" demanded Wildwing.

Nosedive reached out but only received a flash of pain. "I don't know! All I'm getting is chaos!" exclaimed Nosedive. He gasped as he suddenly understood what was happening. "She fighting the control!" Nosedive grabbed Wildwing's wrist and made his older brother look at him. "Draganus put the gold collar around her neck to control her mind but she said that dragons are not the same as other creatures. She fighting the control!" he exclaimed. 

"Watch it!" yelled Duke. The brothers looked up and jumped away as a stream of fire was thrown at them.

"You sure?" called Wildwing.

The red dragon started clawing at the collar around her neck. It glowed and she spat fire again at the Mighty Ducks. The team jumped to the street and Jin took to the air. "Very." hissed Nosedive as he landed. 

Jin flew around his Mother, trying to not get hit by her flailing about. [Mother! Mother!] he called frantically.

A laser shot hit the street by Grin and the team turned to see the Saurians. "Just what we need." groaned Mallory. A stream of fire had everyone leaping away and almost getting hit by laser fire. 

"Nosedive, do something!" yelled Tanya. A hunter droid appeared behind her and she screamed as she was lifted up. Duke cut the droid in half with his sword and then helped Tanya up.

"You okay?" he asked. Tanya nodded and they jumped apart as Siege fired at them.

"Nosedive! Can't you do anything?" yelled Mallory. Grin smashed a droid behind her and she nodded her thanks. 

Nosedive ran by, trying to stay alive and watch the two dragons in the air. He already had another headache. "Like what?" he called, jumping away from a droid. 

Wildwing shot it to pieces. "Can't you help the dragons or something?" the older brother asked. 

Nosedive blew a piece of hair out of his eyes and glanced up at the dragons, almost getting hit. "Watch it!" he yelled before blowing up a droid. Nosedive ran past Wildwing. "I'll try." he called. Nosedive stopped and glared up at the dragons. He pushed into the red dragon's mind again. Pain! Pain! He twisted and turned in the air. Get this thing off! He clawed at his neck. OFF! OFF! The gold collar sparked and fell from the red dragon's neck. Nosedive swayed and looked up to see Draganus before him. 

[Nosedive!] screamed Jin, diving toward the ground. He left out a mournful howl as he flew. His Mother roared and shot flame into the sky in anger. 

Draganus smiled and raised his arm, shooting Nosedive through his stomach. Nosedive's eyes widened as he was pushed into the air from the impact. He world tilted as he began to fall to the ground and blood splattered across the street. "Nosedive!" screamed Wildwing as his brother hit the ground. 

Every weapon paused and then restarted with a fury. Duke worked his way through the droids, a haunted look in his eye. Grin crushed three droids as he simply walked through them, anguish on his face. Mallory and Tanya rushed forward firing at Siege and Chameleon, tears in their eyes. Wildwing ran to Nosedive and dropped to his knees besides him. "He's okay. He's okay. He's okay." he muttered, emptiness in his eyes. Nosedive was bleeding from the stomach and his eyes were closed. Draganus laughed.

The red dragon landed on the ground and reached out for the large Saurian. Draganus growled and disappeared. Jin ran toward Siege and Wraith only to met air. Chameleon disappeared before Jin could even turn toward him. Both dragons began to tear through the remaining droids, shredding them. The Raptor roared to life and took off into the air. The red dragon leapt into the air after it and threw fire. The Raptor wavered and the red dragon clawed at one wing before turning back and returning to the street. She settled gently and pulled in her wings. Jin rushed up to her as she came near the group of ducks.

[He's dead! He's dead! I just know it!] exclaimed Jin to his Mother. 

The red dragon looked down into the circle of ducks and closed her eyes. [Yes, he is.] she said softly to her child. Red jewels fell from her eyes and clear jewels fell from Jin's.

"Nosedive?" asked Wildwing softly, smoothing back his little brother's hair. Tanya stood from her kneeling place besides him and the others looked at her. She simply shook her head. Mallory turned away and lowered her head. The last emotion disappeared from Grin's face and Duke's hand fiddled meaningfully with his sword, an odd light in his eye. "Dive?" asked Wildwing again, not looking up at anyone. His little brother lay still in his arms, blood covering most of his body. Wildwing tried to wipe some of it off but only managed to get himself covered in it also. "Dive? Come on, you're scaring me here." said Wildwing softly.

The red dragon moved her head over them and looked down at the two brother ducks. She rumbled, causing the other ducks to look up at her in enough time to see her open her mouth and envelop them in a cloud of red dust. The ducks rubbed at their eyes confusingly as the dust cleared. They looked at the dragon to find her lying patiently in the street with Jin curled against her. Even more confused, they looked back to the brothers to find the blood gone. Wildwing was staring down at Nosedive, watching his chest rise and fall with breath. They were all silent as Nosedive's eyes fluttered and then opened. He looked around the circle above him and smiled. "You all look sad." he stated softly.

Wildwing pulled Nosedive into his lap and began to rock back and forth. "I thought I had lost you forever." he whispered. Nosedive touched his cheek and allowed his big brother to hold him without complaint. 

Tanya sat on the curb and began to cry. Grin's look of peace returned to his face and the light of revenge faded from Duke's eye. Mallory folded her arms and watched the brothers with a small smile on her face. [Nosedive?] asked Jin softly. 

[Yes.] answered Nosedive, not even lifting his head.

[There is a siren approaching at a fast click and emitting a very annoyed feeling. I suggest we leave.] said Jin's Mother. 

Nosedive wiggled a little. "Unless we want to deal with Klegghorn, I really think we should leave." said the young duck.

Duke and Mallory groaned. "That's the last thing we need." said the red haired duck. 

Wildwing did not move or answer and Nosedive touched his cheek. The younger duck took off the Mask and tilted Wildwing's head up so he could see his eyes. "I'm here and everyone's safe. I'm okay and unhurt. It's all right." Nosedive muttered, too low for anyone besides his brother to hear. Nosedive kept whispering until Wildwing came back to himself. When Wildwing looked at Nosedive and smiled slightly Nosedive placed the Mask back on his face. Wildwing released his little brother and both stood. 

"Let's get up to the Aerowing. I don't want to deal with Klegghorn either." said Wildwing. The team smiled and raced up to the Aerowing on top of the roof. Nosedive turned back to the two dragons on the street before he boarded.

[We will follow you.] said Jin's Mother. Nosedive nodded and went into the Aerowing. Tanya slid behind the controls and the machine started up. Nosedive sat on a double seat with Wildwing and leaned against his brother, much to Wildwing's relief. The dragons leapt into the air after the Aerowing and everyone was out of sight by the time Klegghorn's car screeched around the corner. 

Nosedive lay his head on Wildwing's shoulder for a moment and then stood. Wildwing let him go with a curious look and watched as Nosedive walked over to where Tanya was driving and opened a drawer next to her. Nosedive lay a hand on Tanay's shoulder as he looked through the drawer and pulled out a comic book. He looked at the female duck for a moment before walking over to the window. He looked out and saw Jin and his Mother flying next to the Aerowing. He put his hands on Duke's and Mallory's shoulders and stood there for a moment. Mallory tensed for a second and then relaxed. [You two all right?] asked Nosedive as he stood there. 

Jin did a roll in the air. [We're fine.] answered the red dragon with humor in her voice. Nosedive smiled and walked away from the window. As he walked back toward his seat he brushed his hand against Grin's arm. Nosedive sat back next to Wildwing and tossed the comic book onto another chair, not even looking at it. A sense of calm had developed in the air.

Wildwing put his arms around Nosedive and pulled him into a hug. "How did you get so smart?" he asked the young duck softly.

"That would be telling." answered Nosedive just as quietly. He closed his eyes and didn't open them until Tanya landed the Aerowing in the hanger. The team rushed outside to find the two dragons sitting in the parking lot and nuzzling each other. Nosedive walked up to the Mother dragon and she looked at him.

[Jin tells me that your name is Nosedive.] the female dragon said to him.

Nosedive nodded. "It is. What is yours?" he asked. 

[My name is Taborri.] answered the red dragon. 

"Nice to met you Taborri. Well, nice to met you now." said Nosedive. Everyone laughed. 

Wildwing looked up into the sky and saw the black fading away. "What are we going to do with them?" he asked.

Nosedive looked at him. "We have to send them home, Wing. This isn't their rightful place." he exclaimed.

Jin gasped. [Mother!] he cried.

[Hush. I know you'll miss your new friend but he is wise beyond his years. We must return home.] said Taborri. Nosedive blushed at the red dragon's words. 

"What did they say?" asked Duke, curious.

Nosedive shook his head quickly. "Nothing!" he said. Jin walked over to him and bumped him in the back. Nosedive turned and hugged him. "I'll miss you too, Jin, but you can't stay here. This world would never leave you in peace." he said softly. Wildwing laid a hand on his shoulder.

"But the only way to send them back would be Draganus' Dimensional Gateway and it would take months for us to find the Raptor." said Tanya. 

Nosedive sighed as Taborri cocked her head. "The only way to send you back is to use Draganus' Dimensional Gateway." he supplied.

[Which is a very dangerous and risky under taking.] added Taborri.

Nosedive nodded sadly. "Which is a very dangerous and risky under taking." he echoed. 

"That would mean taking on Draganus again." exclaimed Mallory.

"If we can even find old Lizard-lips. Like Tanya said, even with the Mask it would take months for us to find the Raptor. Plus, where are we going to hid Taborri and Jin?" said Duke.

[There is no other way?] asked Jin.

Nosedive shook his head and Jin rumbled sadly. "There is no other…" Nosedive blinked as an idea came to him. "way." He stepped away from Jin. "I think I have an idea and it doesn't involve hunting down the Saurian scum!" he exclaimed. He turned and ran back into the Pond.

"Nosedive! What is your plan?" yelled Wildwing. 

"I'll be back in a minute!" yelled Nosedive as he disappeared through the door. 

The team sighed and looked at the dragons. There was a long silence. "I'm glad the kid is all right." muttered Mallory. 

Everyone was silent and then Wildwing turned toward the dragons. "I know you can't understand me but I have to say this anyway. Thank you. You have no idea what your actions mean to me, to us. Nosedive is very dear to all of us." said Wildwing. He looked at the dragons and sighed. "How do I thank a creature that doesn't understand me?"

Taborri chuckled after a second and lowered her head toward them. And then she opened her mouth and spoke. "Firstly, I can understand you perfectly. It is my son that must talk through the mind." she said. The duck's beaks dropped in surprise. "It's an age thing." Taborri clarified. "And secondly, there is no need to thank me. I would never allow one with such a bright soul and pure heart to die." Jin rumbled in agreement, unable to understand Wildwing but understanding his Mother perfectly. 

Nosedive banged out of the Pond again and rushed up to them. His hands were curled against his chest, hiding something. "Well, kid, what's this great idea you have?" asked Duke.

Nosedive lowered his hands to reveal the Red Dragon amulet they had used to return home from another dimension. "This returned us home, it can return Taborri and Jin home as well." said Nosedive firmly, as if his conviction alone would make it work. 

"It could work." agreed Tanya cautiously.

"It will work." retorted Nosedive. He walked up to Taborri and placed the jewel in her claws. "Umm, you have to say 'there's no place like home' to get it to work." he said. He took a step back. [I'm going to really miss you two.] he said silently. Jin walked up and Nosedive hugged the adolescent dragon. [Thank you for all your help and for the awesome flight, Jin.] Nosedive said.

Taborri rumbled. [If the Powers are willing, we will see each other again.] she said.

[Yes, I will not give up hope of ever seeing you again Nosedive.] said Jin, stepping back. [We are friends, after all.]

Nosedive smiled and went to stand by Wildwing and the others. "Goodbye!" he called one more time.

Taborri bowed her head. [Farewell.] she said. Jin pressed against his Mother as she curled her claws around the amulet. Both dragons disappeared in a flash of light. As the light cleared Nosedive hurried over and picked up the amulet from the ground. He hung his head and Wildwing walked up behind him. 

"It'll be all right Nosedive, as long as you remember them they will always be your friends." said Wildwing.

Nosedive looked at him sideways. "You sound like a fortune cookie." he said with a smirk. Nosedive spun and grinned at the others. "You know what I want?" he asked. He paused for a moment but then continued before they could answer. "Breakfast!" he exclaimed. He pointed to the east and everyone saw the sun peek over the distant mountains. "It's morning and since I'm up, I want food!" He tossed the Red Dragon amulet to Wildwing and walked toward the Pond. "And then I'm going to go to sleep. For a week! Maybe two!" he kept talking as he walked. 

There was a soft chuckle from the team as they followed. "Think we should tell him Taborri could talk?" asked Duke.

Tanya shook her head. "Nah. Let him keep believing he was the only one who could understand them." she said.

"But wasn't he the only one who could really understand the dragons?" said Grin. He cocked his eyebrow as the others looked at him.

"If you don't hurry up I'm going to lock you guys out!" yelled Nosedive from the door. 

The team chuckled and raced toward the door. "It matters little." answered Wildwing, closing the door behind himself. 


End file.
